Jul 23, 2012

A media watchdog group says it's no surprise that homosexual activists and their media friends are upset with a prominent and successful fast-food chain for taking a public stand in support of traditional marriage.

Chick-fil-A president Dan Cathy recently stated in an interview with a North Carolina-based Christian news journal that his privately owned company is "guilty as charged" in support of what he called "the biblical definition of the family unit." (See earlier story)

Cathy Sets the Record 'Straight'

"We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that," Cathy told the Biblical Recorder. "We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles."

Tim Graham, director of media analysis for the Media Research Center (MRC), tells OneNewsNow that the mainstream media tends to follow the lead of pro-homosexual activist groups.

"So many corporations have knuckled under the Human Rights Campaign and their 'Corporate Equality Index'—you know, you're very, very rare [when you don't], which makes you very easy for the media to pick on," Graham explains.

Founded in Georgia, Chick-fil-A has primarily grown its chain in Southern states. But in recent years it has migrated to the north in more urban centers, drawing attention from liberal media outlets and homosexual-advocacy organizations.

"It's amazing to me ... I mean this is what they do: they pick on people and they absolutely expect abject surrender—just the way they did with the Boy Scouts," says the MRC spokesman. "They're infuriated that the Boy Scouts don't knuckle under."

Chick-fil-A issued a statement on its Facebook page on Thursday (July 19), telling its customers that "going forward, our intent is to leave the policy debate over same-sex marriage to the government and political arena" and that its tradition is "to treat every person with honor, dignity and respect—regardless of their belief, race, creed, sexual orientation or gender."

Human Rights Campaign has defined as "hate groups" several organizations that have received financial donations from Chick-fil-A—among them Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Focus on the Family.